


i knead you in my loaf

by kinglychan (avius)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: A Lot Of Puns, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Bisexual Lee Chan | Dino, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Self-Indulgent, but thats not au thats canon, i wrote this cos i wanted to, idk its just a little bit of nonsense enjoy, seokmin is a little bit of a mess, side gyuhao - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 01:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14558250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avius/pseuds/kinglychan
Summary: 7.46 Baker's Dozens is a quaint bakery with a static routine. Seokmin likes it this way. One day, a stranger steps into the shop, and suddenly, Minghao and Mingyu's PDA is the yeast of Seokmin's worries.





	i knead you in my loaf

Seokmin’s weary eyes found their way to the clock, dusting his hands on his caramel coloured apron. It wasn’t unusual for the baker to be up this early, perfecting recipes and churning out stock for his earliest customers way before Mingyu and Minghao shuffled in, but he rarely minded. This bakery, this hole-in-the-wall haven of sweet treats and warm bread, was his pipe-dream, his baby, and if he had learnt anything in his twenty-one years, it was that you had to work hard to put great things in the world. And if that meant choosing to miss a few hours sleep, well - you can’t make a quiche without cracking a few eggshells, or however the saying went. _Quiche_ , Seokmin startled, snapping his fingers and reaching out for his scribble covered notepad, _test greek feta and leek quiche  filling with soonie_. His eyes found the clock once more, tucking the pencil in his apron pocket, to find less than a minute had passed. He usually didn’t mind the early starts - golden rays inching their way through the large bay windows at the front all the way to peeking into the kitchen at the back, the low hum of the oven mingling with chirps of roused birds and his own mindless singing, warm dough springy under his flour covered hands - but he hadn’t gotten more than three hours of sleep after staying up studying for finals before Chuu’s Heart Attack blared from the tinny speakers of his phone. He was busy, he mused as he pulled the dough into thin strips, but he didn’t mind being pulled thin if it meant others could smile.

Seokmin hoped Seulgi and her little girl Dae came in to visit today. Seulgi always sat at the counter and chatted with Seokmin about the happenings in her domestic life, letting Dae cling onto Mingyu at the register as Minghao boxed up her order of bread and sweet pastries. Her wife, Irene, worked night shifts late at the hospital and Seulgi would, despite a half-hearted grumble, always add on a red velvet cupcake (Irene’s favourite). It was moments like those, with frosting smeared on Dae’s impatient face, that made the early mornings worth it, and the serenity even more valuable.

The front door chimed and Seokmin’s bubble of serenity was popped. Minghao’s squeals echoed against the orange brick and white walls and, without looking, Seokmin knew Mingyu was probably up to no good.

“Hurry up and get in here - but no making out in the kitchen,” he said firmly, and the thud of Minghao’s feet on the ground once more was followed by a whine from Mingyu.

“Seokie,” he drawled, making Seokmin finally look up and over the dividing wall to see a trademark puppy pout. “Why do you sound like our dad.”

Minghao grabbed the two aprons off the hook, slipping his on and reaching up to slip Mingyu’s over his head. He smacked his taller boyfriend on the shoulder before reaching around him to tie a bow. “Ew, gross Gyu. That would make us related.”

All efforts to protest Seokmin’s rule apparently abandoned, Mingyu hummed sweetly and pecked the younger on the forehead. “Not yet, bub.”

Seokmin waved his arms, a cloud of flour drifting in their wake. “I’m right here!” he shouted with no bite at all. Minghao just rolled his eyes - at his whining or Mingyu’s cheesiness, Seokmin couldn’t tell - before flinging himself over the front counter to set down the chairs and fluff pillows on the sofas. Mingyu turned on the coffee machine, and readjusted the display boxes to prepare for the day’s treats.

(”Don’t act like that as if you won’t be my best man,” he grumbled.

“Uh, no - Minnie’s all mine,” Minghao retorted sharply.

“I’ll be neither if you don’t get your asses in here and help out,” Seokmin replied curtly.)

It wasn’t long before Seokmin found himself settled into yet another routine, the three boys bumping hips as they worked in the kitchen, weaving around each other and all the appliances whilst singing Hayley Kiyoko songs at the top of their lungs. They had so far made six half-batches of cupcakes and had four different bread doughs cooking. Minghao had decided to make cookies (“because I want to, Minnie”) and Mingyu was currently refilling every single jar with water for the flowers on each table and watering each of the plants that hang off of shelves and from hooks in the ceiling. It was just past seven, and the trio were preparing to open within the next 20 minutes. They were decently settled into their routine, which was what made a clattering outside the door so very startling.

Seokmin carefully shuffled his puff pastry lid onto the kitchen board, drying his hands on the tea towel as Minghao went to join his boyfriend. “Gyu?”

Slipping out from behind the dividing wall and in full view of the commotion, Seokmin entered the main room as soon as a stranger stepped inside, bringing the early morning brisk air with them. Despite the fact that the boysenberry pie was currently sitting motionless on the countertop, Seokmin felt his insides expand like puff pastry. The stranger, all wavy mousy hair and nervous dimples, was muttering apologies at the stunned looks on the three employees. His green metal bike was propped up against the window sill outside, backpack slung over one shoulder, and, to Seokmin’s surprise, he was certain he’d not once seen this man before.

Seokmin’s knees turned to crème brûlée as the stranger exhaled a shaky laugh and Seokmin immediately knew he was done for. But, there were things to attend to first, like the way Mingyu was expectantly waiting for Seokmin to welcome the customer, and the way Minghao was looking at him as if he could tell his heartbeat had risen more than their experimental puff muffins and the way that the stranger had instinctively turned to him as the others had and was now looking at him with the deepest prettiest eyes Seokmin had ever seen.

“Welcome to “7.46 Baker’s Dozens”,” he smiled, that smile, that he knew made the ladies from the church group around the corner swoon, and the teenagers that hang out on Saturday mornings blush behind their hands. Seokmin watched Minghao silently snort and retreat to the kitchen. “I’ve not seen you in 7.46 before,” Seokmin trailed off, not wanting to appear to eager or make the other uncomfortable.

“I,” he stumbled over his words, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cuffed mum jeans. Seokmin just smiled, dusting his hands on his apron out of habit, and waited for the boy to explain. _Maybe he is new to the neighbourhood._ “I’m new to the neighbourhood.” _Maybe he lives nearby._ “I just moved in across the road actually.” _Maybe he’s only popping in to say hi._ “I was just scoping out the street, if I’m honest.” _Maybe he’ll come here often._ “This looks like my kind of place already, though.” _Maybe he’s telepathetic. Maybe he’s single_.

“I’m Chan,” he smiled, wide and toothy and utterly addictive, and Seokmin would have been lying if he said he didn’t commit it to memory within the first glance, as much as he hoped he didn’t have to.

“I’m Seokmin.” He rubbed his right hand in his apron as if he hadn’t twice already, and offered it. Chan’s hand was chilly like the air outside but also warm like his smile. “This is my bakery,” Minghao snorted from the kitchen. “...that I own with these two idiots.”

Chan nodded, and turned to take in each inch of the cafe. Seokmin smiled at his attentive observance, causing something perplexing and fresh swell in his gut. He turned to Mingyu at the till and nodded toward Chan.

“Uh,” he began, and Chan adorably whipped around immediately to face him again. “I gotta go finish baking; we don’t usually have customers before 7:30 - don’t worry though, we don’t mind - but just talk to Gyu if you want to order anything, okay?” he smiled, eyes crinkling, and hoped his rambling didn’t come off as too uneasy. Before he could psychoanalyse the way Chan brought his hand up to cover a chuckle, he turned and vanished into the kitchen.

Minghao had taken up where Seokmin had left off with the pie, so he checked each of the loaves before hauling the trays out of the oven and divvying them onto airing racks. Minghao slinked over to his side, pie in hand, and slid the pie into the oven before turning to the older man.

“Cuffed mum jeans,” Minghao smirked, eyebrow raised, and Seokmin felt compelled to shove him against the counter. He ran a freshly flour covered hand over his face with a groan. “I’m just saying,” Minghao continued ruthlessly, tongue poking out a little, “at least you know he’s bi.”

“That’s a stereotype,” Seokmin protested, causing Minghao to burst into laughter. “And besides- shut up, oh my god- besides, I barely know him.”

Minghao just rolled his eyes and made pointless adjustments to the arrangement of his cookies in a ceramic bowl ready for display. “You made the face, though.”

Seokmin’s practiced hands halted in arranging the variety of loaves in a tea towel lined apple crate. “What face?” he questioned, incredulously. He didn’t make faces at new strangers that took his breath away. _Not strangers_ , he reminds himself, _because Chan has a name and is waiting to try his bread and-_

Minghao coughed, “ _That_ face, Min.”

Seokmin waited for elaboration but Minghao just laced his arms with all of the food ready for sale without another word. “Hao, what face?”

Minghao just smiled pitifully, “I’ll show you.” Seokmin followed him wordlessly around the corner.

Mingyu was making idle chat with Chan about moving (“How was the traffic last night?”, “Where were you before?”, “Do you have any relatives around?”, “Are you going to uni here?”), so Seokmin assisted Minghao in arranging the goods on the shelves.

“So, Chan,” Mingyu said once the pair had finished setting up, raising his voice to the one dubbed by Minghao as his ‘entertainer’s voice’, “What would you like?”

“What do you have on offer?” Chan asked, throwing a glance to Seokmin. He tried not to look into that too much. Minghao moved to Mingyu’s back, slipping his arms around his waist.

“You’re lucky you’re here before our regulars - they know to snatch the creme de la creme nice and early,” Mingyu laughed. Chan opened his mouth to apologise again, but Mingyu either didn’t notice, or barrelled through, like the loving puppy he is.

“We have lots of bread - olive chibatta, whole grain rye, sourdough - because that’s Seokie’s favourite, and we have an abundance of cupcakes today! You’ll have to come back for Seokie’s boysenberry pie - it’s legend-berry!” He paused in his speech, turning to smile at Minghao over his shoulder as if he invented the macaron. He apparently didn’t mind pda in front of a brand new customer, too. “Haoie made his iconic Pot of Gold cookies today too. I’d highly recommend them.”

Minghao pecked his shoulder chastely and turned to look directly into Seokmin’s eyes. He mouthed ‘that look’ hidden behind Mingyu’s shoulder blade. Seokmin choked on air.

“You okay, Seokie?” Chan asked, very quickly accustomed to Mingyu’s nickname for him - how often was his name used in their brief conversation? - causing Seokmin to choke again. He waved off two pairs of concerned eyes and one filled with mirth, and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Definitely taking two of Minghao’s cookies - one for now, one for a midnight snack - and a loaf of your best bread,” Chan decided once the commotion had died down. Seokmin’s eyes snapped up, butterflies in his stomach bubbling like caramelising toffee, and decided, based on Chan’s smile alone, that his fresh pain viennois would be perfect.

“I’ll wrap that all up for you,” Seokmin smiled. Minghao handed Chan a still warm cookie directly, who had no hesitation before taking a bite and making a not so innocent groan at the taste. Seokmin’s face flushed with the heat of an oven (180 degrees, fan forced). Nonetheless, he was determined to make his mark on this wonderful human. Mingyu peered over at Seokmin to check which bread to ring up, and whilst Chan paid for his items, Seokmin found a sharpie in the top drawer.

Chan’s sunshine giggle as he tucked the brown paper packaged goodies into his bag and waved goodbye to the trio was confirmation enough that his message was well received.

“i knead you in my loaf. call me xxxx-xxx-xxx. seokie <3”

 

**Author's Note:**

> ((btw 7.46 Baker's Dozens is just 7.46*13 which rounds up to 97 as in 97 line in case you were wondering. and shout out to shay my fav reveluv, hope you enjoyed the pun uwu.))
> 
> hope you enjoyed! sorry ive been mia on here, i am just abt to finish my chanhao twt au tho so, follow me on twitter [@kinglychan](https://twitter.com/kinglychan) to chat or request things! love you all lots!


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